The present invention relates to a process for measuring relative angles between a reference direction of a measuring platform and remote measuring points by means of light rays which start from the measuring platform and are reflected back to the measuring platform by reflecting means attached to the measuring points and are received and processed by receiving means provided at the measuring platform. The present invention also relates to measuring devices to implement this process.
For example, to determine the position of a measuring platform with respect to reference points with known positions, the distances between the measuring platform and the reference points are measured. From that, the position of the measuring platform can be determined. Instead of measuring the distances, the angular position of the measuring platform with respect to the reference points can also be measured. On the basis of a surveying plan, this procedure also results in the position of the measuring platform being determined. These angles can be measured starting from either the measuring platform or from the individual reference points. Usually the angles relative to a defined reference direction are measured. To measure these relative angles a manually operable optical angle measuring device is frequently used in the conventional manner.
To measure these relative angles automatically, there exist methods and systems that function with the aid of light transmitters at the measuring platform and reflectors at the reference points. In so doing, a collimated light ray is focused on the reference point, wherein the focusing of this light ray represents directly the desired relative angle with respect to the reference direction. Thus, the position of the measuring platform can be determined with the aid of an existing surveying plan.
The object of the present invention is to find now a simple process for measuring relative angles that runs virtually automatically and can determine rapidly and accurately these relative angles.